by Desiree Bustamante

We wait on the path of promise for Christ’s return.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“I see him, but not here and now.
I perceive him, but far in the distant future.
A star will rise from Jacob;
a scepter will emerge from Israel.”
Numbers 24:17 New Living Translation

When we look for Jesus it feels like He is a long way off in the distance, into a future we can’t begin to imagine.

Throughout many generations, Israel heard of the prophecies of a King that would come to save them. They waited for their deliverer through wars, peace, abundance, famine, exile and their own sins, yet none of these people whose lives are recorded in the Old Testament saw those prophecies come to life in the birth of Jesus.

God foretold what signs and events would appear through the message of His prophets. They spoke of what mankind should watch for so that the Messiah would be recognized and believed. The Old Testament, written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, contains over 300 prophecies that were fulfilled through Jesus, from before His birth to His resurrection.

Though today we read of the fulfillment of Christ in Scriptures, we are still waiting for His promised return. It seems like a long wintry path that we must travel until He comes back for us. Yet we hang on to the prophecy that He will come, just as Israel did long ago.

Hold on to that promise every moment so that, even though we will never know the day or hour when he returns, we will be ready for the Son to appear. Be prepared, for the Son of Man will come when He is least expected. And when that glorious day comes, we will finally be at the end of our long journey on this earth and eternally live in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado